Pre-registration for the 2016 edition of Cardiff Half Marathon officially opened last week, with organisers anticipating up to 25,000 participants. The event will play host to the 22nd edition of the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, which is expected to attract a host of elite runners to the Welsh capital.

Francesca Eyre, owner of Morzine-based chalet business Chilly Powder, decided to head for slightly warmer climes last November to take on the 220K Manaslu Trail Race in Nepal in memory of her late mother, brother and sister. The mother of three completed the race in 17th place overall, finishing as the fourth placed women.

Entries are open for one of Surrey’s most picturesque events. The Godalming Run will take place for the fourth year in a row with 1k, 5k and 10k options around the rural town. The course covers riverside pathways, parks and woods before returning to its start point at the bandstand in Phillip’s Memorial Park. Taking place on Sunday 17 May, proceeds will go to Sport Godalming’s Go for Gold Champions Fund for local athletes who compete internationally and potentially at Rio 2016.

North Korea did little to change its isolationist image as it announced that it is to ban international runners from competing in this year's Pyongyang Marathon. Organisers cited concerns over the Ebola virus as the primary reason behind the move.

Thousands of runners hit the streets of Brighton and Hove on Sunday (22 February) for the Vitality Brighton Half Marathon, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the race. A sea of confetti got the race off to a vibrant start to mark the event’s milestone birthday, and thousands of runners travelled 13.1 miles around the city’s landmark sights.

Around 36,000 participants took to the streets of Tokyo on Sunday (22 February) for the Japanese capital's ninth annual marathon. The event saw Ethiopians Endeshaw Negesse and Birhane Dibaba win the men's and female races in 2:06:00 and 2:23:16, respectively.

After recently becoming the first half marathon in the Nordic countries to be awarded the International Association of Athletics Federations’ Road Race bronze label, Copenhagen Half Marathon is going for gold in 2015. The event, set for 13 September 2015, is hoping to achieve the gold award this year, a status awarded to just five other half marathons in Europe.

Tomorrow's ninth Tokyo Marathon on Sunday (22 February), will feature the use of the world's first 'edible wearable'. Fruit and vegetable company, Dole, has created a GPS-powered banana which uses an LED to show race times, heart rate and messages of encouragement from spectators sent via Twitter.